Jonathan Peterson, a UC Davis junior from Clovis High, finished 14th overall Monday at the NCAA Cross Country Championships in Terre Haute, Ind.

Peterson became the first Division I All-American in UC Davis cross country history after recording a time of 30 minutes, 9.1 seconds in the 10-kilometer race.

"The goal was definitely to get up and try and secure an All-American spot, which is top 40, then from there we looked at top 20 as being icing on the cake," UC Davis coach Drew Wartenburg said. "He did a great job late in the race when he was a little exposed as he had to be trying to pick off some people and move up spots. Patience and a well-executed race plan kept him up above where we thought he'd be."

Peterson, who placed sixth in the 2006 state meet as a Clovis High senior, has shown steady improvement at UC Davis from entering just four meets as a freshman and then redshirting in 2008. He was 17th in the NCAA West Regional last year and fifth this year.

"The first trip to nationals oftentimes is a steep learning curve and an experimental thing, so to get here and run this well in a first opportunity puts him in some lofty company," Wartenburg said.

Liberty's Samuel Chelanga defended his men's title with a time of 29:22.2, and Oklahoma State and Villanova won the men's and women's team titles.

Villanova's Sheila Reid overtook Oregon sophomore Jordan Hasay to win the 6,000-meter race in 20:06.9. Emily Infeld of Georgetown was second and Hasay, the former Mission Prep star, finished third.